


The Photography of John H. Watson

by Spoofinator



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fictober, John POV, Johncentric, Johnlock - Freeform, Johnlock Endgame, M/M, Parentlock, Photo, Pre and Post Reichenbach, TJLC, all of the seasons, ficprompt, johnisbi, just the canon angst, photograph, pre and post season 4, sherlockisgay, very little angst, very little mary, very little parentlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 12:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16219025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spoofinator/pseuds/Spoofinator
Summary: The first time John took a picture of Sherlock was mostly by accident. The times after that eventually made him realize an important truth.





	The Photography of John H. Watson

**Author's Note:**

> October Johnlock challenge: "Photograph"  
> This is not my best written fic. lol.  
> I wrote this pretty fast and very freeform. I had a general idea of what I wanted to do, but there was no planning.   
> Hopefully ya'll enjoy it anyways.  
> Also I should note I am not a Mary hater. I loved her as an actual character, so I am nice to her in my fics- but to each their own, just a warning.  
> I am also not British so I am sorry for being so American in my terminology. It's probably really bad on that front.

The first time John took a picture of Sherlock was mostly by accident. It happened while he was figuring out the new smartphone Sherlock had bought him. Sherlock insisted he needed one because he texted too slow with his “terrible outdated piece of crap”. John protested that he was fine with the one he had, but gave up convincing Sherlock to take it back after Sherlock told him he had bought it on Mycroft's card and not his own  
He was messing with all the apps and trying to organize it to his liking when he came across the camera. He lifted it to check out the supposedly “crystal clear quality” it was advertised to have and pressed the button, capturing a picture of Sherlock who was playing violin in his usual spot by the window. The camera clicked loudly, making John jump and drop the phone.   
Sherlock stopped and turned around.  
“it is a nice camera.” he said with a sly smile.  
“Yeah.” John responded, clearing his throat awkwardly as he reached to pick up the mobile from the floor.   
Sherlock went back to playing, but John could swear the song he played was slightly more upbeat.   
He shook his head and opened the gallery app to delete the picture, but stopped before he could. It was a good picture, Sherlock's long limbs and curly hair seemed to almost glow in the light of the setting sun. Those hands that John had watched him use to fight criminals and examine dead bodies seemed so soft and innocent caressing his beloved violin, and the arch in his back and muscles in his neck seemed so elegant and in tune with his posh clothes. He decided to keep it, telling himself he might be able to use it for the blog at some point.   
………..  
Now that he had the new mobile phone it seemed only logical to document cases the best he could, especially since it came in handy during The Blind Banker, when he got the shot of the smugglers spray painted code.   
So that's what he did. He didn’t have Sherlock's retentive memory or Mind Palace, but he had this camera, and he felt like he was getting quite good at taking pictures as he continued.   
…………  
Sherlock didn’t leave Baker street a lot but when he did John could swear his nightmares were worse. Without his madman of a flatmate home he didn't get the fix he needed to keep the nightmares at bay.   
One of those Sherlock-less nights he woke up from a particularly bad nightmare, tangled in blankets and sweating. After twenty minutes of tossing and turning he decided to go down to the all too quiet kitchen and make himself some tea. He took the cuppa over to his chair and took out his phone to check his blog, but ended up scrolling through his old pictures instead.  
He smiled fondly at a picture of Sherlock, all grace and energy with his collar turnt up at Baskerville. Then he flipped to a picture he had taken of both of them awkwardly trying to figure out the self facing camera one night at Angelo's, and the next picture which Angelo himself had offered to take of them both sitting at the table- candle between them. Sherlock was looking at John in the picture, he looked so calm, his expression so soft. He continued to flip through for another few minutes before falling asleep, phone in hand, and tea going cold on the side table next to him.  
……  
There was one picture he didn’t need to take. The picture of Sherlock, face splattered in blood, lying on the sidewalk. That picture was permanently burned into his brain. It was all he could think of for months.  
He was asked if he had any pictures to supply for the funeral, but he could barely stand to look through his phone. He only had to look at the latest picture he took to find it too hard to continue. It was a picture of Sherlock at St. Bart’s looking into his microscope. The bright lights of the lab such a stark contrast to his fitting dark clothes and curly brown hair.   
He knew he was in a dangerous business, but John had thought of Sherlock as indestructible. He seemed so above it all. He drove John insane, but without his madman his life was so empty. Sherlock had been his life and his best friend.   
He refused to get rid of the pictures, but it would be another year and 4 months before he would use the camera again.  
………..  
The next time he used the camera was after he met Mary. She mentioned that they didn’t have many pictures together, so she suggested they take some. He handed her his phone and they took a few silly pictures before going to the gallery to view them. His heart skipped a beat seeing the pictures of Sherlock on the screen again.   
Mary must have sensed his sadness because she locked the phone and suggested they go out to dinner. She loved him and hated to see the way he still mourned for Sherlock, so she didn’t dare bring up the pain of the past again by asking about all those pictures.  
………..  
John planned on using the camera the night of his engagement, but of course that was interrupted by Sherlock’s untimely return. He almost left his phone at the restaurant after nearly killing his idiot detective, but thankfully Mary had grabbed it and his coat before they headed out  
the door.   
That night he couldn’t sleep, so after Mary dozed off he took out his phone and took a deep breath before opening the gallery. He was surprised to see the latest picture. It was him and Sherlock walking side by side. Mary must have taken in between the two restaurants.   
He hated to admit it, but his heart leapt as he opened the picture to look closer. John had his fists clenched and shoulders squared, and he was looking up at Sherlock in anger, but Sherlock wasn't upset in return, instead he looked happy, albeit a little bit scared that John might attack again. Sherlock’s shoulders were relaxed and his expression was so soft.  
He started looking back at the other pictures and realized that Sherlock didn’t make that expression in any pictures except the ones of them at Angelo’s. His heart sped up at the thought that Sherlock saved that expression solely for him, and it dissipated his anger a bit.  
He fell asleep mentally thanking Mary for taking a picture to remind him how much he loved and had missed his best friend.  
…………  
There were five pictures from the stag night that he didn’t remember taking. Two selfies of him and Sherlock together at some bar, one picture of Sherlock leaning against a table at another bar, one selfie that Sherlock must have taken of himself back at the flat, and one of John that Sherlock must have taken. He loved all five of those pictures. There was something about the way that Sherlock made him smile that emanated in those five pictures more than most. Even though the night didn’t end up being the most fun, he still thought it was worth it for the memories.  
There were quite a few pictures from the wedding. His favorites were one terrible selfie he insisted on taking with Sherlock and one of Sherlock playing the violin for his and Mary’s first dance that Archie had taken. John had given Archie the task of taking some pictures of the reception on John’s own phone. But because Archie is a just a kid John found that aside from three pictures of the actual reception he had to go through and get rid of at least 30 random ridiculous selfies of Archie himself after thoughtfully sending some of the better ones to Archie’s mother.  
…………  
John continued to take pictures of cases as time went on. It was what he did before and seemed only natural now.  
Mary occasionally joked about how his phone was filled with pictures of Sherlock and not her, but she also secretly found it endearing. After he found out she was an assassin it was a relief that his phone was filled with Sherlock and murders and not her, but the night she died he looked back in his phone to distract himself and try and sleep, but found only those selfies from when they were dating, some photos Sherlock’s mother insisted on taking on Christmas, and one picture of them and Rosie, which resulted in him feeling even worse, and terribly guilty.  
In the following weeks that John refused to talk to Sherlock he also refused to look at any pictures.   
………...  
It wasn’t until after Sherrinford that John he started up again. He had realized that he couldn’t afford his flat alone, and asked Sherlock if it could be possible to move back in to his old room.  
The next picture he took was of Rosie sleeping on Sherlock’s chest on the couch at 221b after a hard day of moving.   
………….  
John sat in his chair one night after putting Rosie to bed and decided to check out the pictures Ms. Hudson had insisted on taking of himself, Sherlock, and Rosie. He chuckled at the first picture in which John was holding Rosie and Rosie was throwing a toy at Sherlock. The next one Sherlock was holding Rosie and looking over at John, who was smiling at the camera. Sherlock was making that same soft expression he had seen in the other pictures of them together.   
John stood up and walked over to where Sherlock was looking into his microscope at the kitchen table. His detective looked up at him, a questioning look on his face. John smiled and leaned in, kissing him softly on the lips. Sherlock seemed shocked for a moment, but then started to kiss back, wrapping his arms around his favorite soldier’s waist.  
…………  
John’s next favorite picture was taken by Angelo a month later. It was a picture of John on one knee holding a ring box up to Sherlock, who was smiling brightly, both of them bathed in romantic candlelight.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Leave kudos and comments and I will be eternally grateful.  
> ♥


End file.
